Bhabanipur, a south Kolkata Assembly seat long seen as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s political stronghold, has emerged as the centrepiece of West Bengal’s phase 2 polls, with the Trinamool Congress leader locked in a high-stakes contest against BJP heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari on April 29.
The constituency, spread across eight Kolkata Municipal Corporation wards, has become a prestige battle for both the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, with stakes extending far beyond a routine electoral contest. For the TMC, retaining Bhabanipur is critical to reaffirming Banerjee’s authority on her home turf. For the BJP, breaching it would mark a symbolic breakthrough against Bengal’s most dominant political figure.
The contest is widely viewed as a rematch of Nandigram, where Adhikari defeated Banerjee in 2021 after switching sides from the TMC to the BJP. This time, the battle has shifted to Bhabanipur, where Banerjee has repeatedly secured comfortable victories, including a margin of over 58,000 votes in the 2021 bypoll.
Bhabanipur’s diverse social composition has added layers of complexity to the contest. Often described as a ‘mini India’, the constituency comprises Bengali Hindus, non-Bengali trading communities such as Marwaris and Gujaratis, Sikh and Punjabi households, alongside a sizeable Muslim electorate and migrants from Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand.
This demographic mix has prompted the BJP to adopt a granular, booth-level strategy, focusing on caste and community arithmetic to consolidate support. Party leaders say detailed mapping of voter segments has shaped campaign outreach across neighbourhoods.
The TMC, in contrast, has leaned on Banerjee’s personal connect with the constituency, reviving the emotional pitch of “ghorer meye” (daughter of the house). Welfare schemes such as Lakshmir Bhandar and Kanyashree remain central to its campaign narrative, alongside an emphasis on continuity and familiarity.
Also read: Give us your vote, we’ll free Bengal from TMC: PM Modi
“This is not just another seat. People here have repeatedly stood by Mamata Banerjee’s politics of development and inclusiveness,” Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim said.
The BJP has sought to frame the contest as a referendum on governance, accusing the ruling party of appeasement and corruption. “The battle here cannot be fought with one slogan. It has to be fought booth by booth, community by community. The state now wants Ram Rajya,” BJP leader Debjit Sarkar said.
Recent electoral trends suggest a tightening race. While Banerjee secured a commanding win in the 2021 bypoll, the TMC’s lead in the Bhabanipur segment narrowed significantly in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with the BJP gaining ground in a majority of wards.
Changes in the electoral roll have further sharpened the contest. The electorate has reduced to around 1.55 lakh voters following large-scale deletions, a factor both parties interpret differently in assessing their prospects.
Political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty said the battle carries symbolic weight. “By fielding Suvendu in Bhabanipur, the BJP is trying to convert the seat into another Nandigram… For the TMC, defeating him here is necessary to restore political authority,” he said.
With both sides investing heavily in strategy and symbolism, Bhabanipur has become more than a constituency — it is the focal point of a broader political contest over power, perception and momentum in West Bengal.
Follow us
